Preview: Pisa vs. Parma - prediction, team news, lineups

Separated by one place in the Serie A table, relegation rivals Pisa and Parma face off in Monday’s top-flight contest at Arena Garibaldi.

Alberto Gilardino’s men aim to respond to the end of their six-match unbeaten run, while Parma have suffered consecutive defeats in all competitions, exiting the Coppa Italia during the week following a home league loss to Udinese.

Match preview

Pisa always faced an uphill challenge against Inter Milan, as shown by their 2-0 loss to the title contenders.

That defeat halted their six-match unbeaten run in Serie A, though five of those matches were draws, and the newly-promoted side now seek a response to Sunday’s defeat.

Gilardino’s men enter December conscious of their struggles near the bottom, mainly due to their inability to turn draws into wins — the Nerazzurri have played out seven stalemates, losing five and claiming victory just once.

Those results mean Pisa are four points clear of second-bottom Fiorentina and basement side Hellas Verona, occupying 18th place in the table.

However, they are just one point behind a group of teams on 11 points: Cagliari, Genoa and Parma in 15th, 16th and 17th respectively, as well as three points behind 14th-placed Lecce.

A win should take them out of the relegation zone, but they must improve their goalscoring at home in Tuscany, where they have found the net only once in seven matches – November’s 1-0 victory over Cremonese.

Fixtures at Arena Garibaldi have typically been tight, with only five goals scored at the ground – the fewest in Serie A.

This compares differently to their away record, where they have scored eight times and conceded 13, although they are winless in five, having drawn three away games.

Parma have a similarly balanced record home and away, notching six and five points respectively.

The Crusaders’ only away victory came during their last trip from Emilia-Romagna, a 2-1 win in late November against basement club Verona.

The two goals scored there doubled Carlos Cuesta’s team’s tally on the road to three in six games, having conceded seven in the same period.

Only Pisa (four), Fiorentina (four) and Verona (three) have earned fewer points than the visitors’ five. Improving this could be vital for their survival hopes.

Nevertheless, the travelling support will be somewhat confident after Parma did the double over Pisa in their last Serie B encounters in 2023-24, ending a five-match winless run against the Nerazzurri.

In their first top-flight meeting since March 1991, Parma aim to extend their unbeaten run in this fixture to three, keeping them out of the bottom three for at least another week.

Pisa Serie A form:

Parma Serie A form:

Parma form (all competitions):

Team News

Adrian Semper is a doubt due to illness, while Pisa’s lengthy injury list includes Calvin Stengs (thigh), Mateus Lusuardi (knee), Juan Cuadrado (muscle), Ebenezer Akinsanmiro (shoulder), Isak Vural (knee), Daniel Denoon (ankle) and Tomas Esteves (thigh).

M’Bala Nzola has scored three times in Serie A, though none of those goals have come in Tuscany, and the top scorer will hope for better luck on Monday.

Parma’s Mariano Troilo is suspended after his red card during last weekend’s defeat to Udinese.

Matija Frigan (knee), Alessandro Circati (leg), Zion Suzuki (finger) and Abdoulaye Ndiaye (groin) are absent, while Adrian Benedyczak will be assessed after coming off injured in the cup loss to Bologna.

Mateo Pellegrino leads the way for league goals (four) and cup (three), and the forward will aim to increase his season total of seven.

Pisa possible starting lineup:

Scuffet; Caracciolo, Albiol, Canestrelli; Toure, Piccinini, Aebischer, Marin, Angori; Tramoni, Nzola

Parma possible starting lineup:

Guaita; Britschgi, Del Prato, Valenti, Valeri; Bernabe, Keita, Sorensen; Ondrejka; Cutrone, Pellegrino